Beastars: The Discover Check

Chapter 131: Purebred

The rain pelted down in buckets. The streets of the Drusk had become rivers in the downpour that swept away any and all dirt that was on them. The water sprayed onto the outer walls of the buildings, washing dirt off of there down onto the street like a waterfall. The gutters were overflowing and gurgled as small pockets of air found their way into the columns of water. It wouldn't be surprising if there was flooding after this storm, which the news had labeled as the mother of all rain storms this summer. A whopping three feet of rain was expected, and everyone had battened down the hatches.

Lightning arches across the sky and thunder shook Melon to his foundation. He was curled up in an empty dumpster, which he had pushed down an alley, away from the view of the street where the dump trucks would pick it up. The lid was closed, giving him fine enough shelter, but some water still found its way into the container. This caused his makeshift home to have an annoying feel of moisture. A fine film of water coating the floor, walls and roof. Droplets clung to his fur like dew and he could see his breath in the air as it passed through the sliver of light that found its way inside from the lamppost hanging over his dumpster. The haze looked like a small flurry of stars as the moisture glinted through the air, despite it being summer.

The hybrid clutched the coat he had found in a different dumpster tight around his body. He bumped his horns on the metal as he shifted and it sent an unsettling grating sensation through his spinal cord and vertebrae. He used his tongue to settle his rattling teeth and sniffled in the mucous accumulating inside his nasal passage. He checked the hands of a watch behind the cracked face of a watch. His stomach growled and he rolled his eyes. He weighed the options. It was pouring, meaning Legoshi would most likely not be out, let alone anyone else. But it was raining. But he was also starving. He pulled himself up from his back to crouch on the balls of his feet. Looking over the scraps of his last few meals, there was nothing left. Not a drop of liquid, not a scrap of food. It made his stomach growl even louder and gripped his abdomen to quell the rumbling.

Another crash of thunder exploded around him, rattling the lid of the dumpster and sending a shower of droplets onto him. He sighed, tossing the scraps into a trash bag he found in the corner of the dumpster, tying the plastic closed to be dumped in a different trash receptacle while he was out. He pulled the hood of his long jacket up over his horns and zipped up the zipper. He pulled a pair of gloves from one of the cavernous pockets and slipped them on before slinging a backpack over his shoulder, also found in a different dumpster. He opened the lid, a wave of cold rain washing over his face. He flinched only a little before twisting his head, cracking his neck and jumping out of his home, landing in a puddle with a squelching splash. The lid slammed shut behind him and he stood there for a second. He licked the corner of his mouth, jaw hanging open as his tongue migrated to the inside of his cheek and up to the roof of his mouth. He brought it down with an audible click before running off into the setting twilight.

Time to hunt.

~~~~~

The hybrid ran through the rain, stopping only once under an awning. Most of his usual spots weren't viable in this weather. The windows were locked shut and he was unable to enter the buildings unless he wanted to punch out glass. Which would cause noise and lead to him getting caught. He looked down the road towards the districts he knew better than to enter. Under usual circumstances that is. It was dangerous for him to wander into Kopi Luwak's territory for any reason, but he was starving with little other choice. He just had to be especially careful. Not that he was worried, given the rain would hide the view, scent, and sound of him until he went indoors. But he would be fast enough that no one would know he was there. He was also itching for a hit, which he knew someone in Kopi Luwak would have.

The hybrid adjusted the bag on his shoulder before ducking back into the rain. His shoes splashed in the river that used to be a road as he ran through the district, ducking into shadows and peering through the alleys for any easy access windows he could try and jostle open, but it seemed everyone here also had their windows locked closed against the rain. Just his luck that he was feeling hungry during the worst storm the city had seen in years. However there was no better time to look for supplies when the vigilante who was after him wouldn't be jumping around the streets.